The Concussion: How to Prevent and Properly Treat the Strangling Head Injury

Jared Icenhower* and Scott Galster

Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation Category: Oral-Behavioral & Social Sciences (Oral Presentation #44)

Student’s Major: Economics

According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, nearly three million people get a concussion every year from participating in recreational activities and those are just the ones that are known. Nearly half of concussions go unreported, leading to devastating consequences. Symptoms of this brain injury include headaches, concentration problems, struggles to keep balance, and lack of coordination. How do we prevent these injuries from occurring? We must understand that concussions typically occur when an athlete is impacted on the head from the side or behind, not from the front. If we train athletes' peripheral vision, the likelihood of a concussion occurring decreases. There are many technological devices in the world today that train people’s peripheral vision. However, these devices are expensive and some do not prepare athletes for impact as well as others. If athletes train their peripheral vision using the most proficient technological concussion prevention device, then the number of concussions in athletics will decrease due to athletes being able to better prepare for oncoming impacts to the head. Through reading various sources and testing different technological devices such as Dynavision, Twall Interactive Touch Wall, and Moto Tiles, we can determine which device is more proficient in preventing concussions. My research is not complete yet so my results are indeterminable as the most proficient concussion prevention device due to its affordability and effectiveness in training peripheral vision.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: a WVU 297-level course